The present invention relates to methods and systems for handling multiple accesses to a messaging mailbox.
The use of automated messaging systems has become widespread. For example, email and/or voicemail systems are present in many medium to large sized businesses. Further, some messaging systems are configured for unified messaging. A unified messaging system allows a message created at one type of interface to be received by the recipient at a different type of interface. For example, in a unified messaging system, email may be received over a voice telephone interface.
In email messaging systems, voicemail messaging systems, and unified messaging systems, each user account is assigned a mailbox. The common practice is to allow only one session in a particular mailbox at a time. When there is a session in progress in a messaging mailbox, subsequent login attempts while the session is active result in access-to-retrieve-messages being denied. Sometimes, the denial of access-to-retrieve-messages when a session is active, which is usually accompanied by a message such as xe2x80x9cthis mailbox is currently in use, and cannot be accessed at this time,xe2x80x9d may become very frustrating when the person attempting to logon is the owner of the mailbox.
For example, a person may have been at one location checking the contents of his or her mailbox on a computer, and decided to leave that location, but forget to logout of the mailbox. Later, the person may decide to access his or her mailbox from a different location to retrieve messages, but will be denied access because the previous session is still active.
For the foregoing reasons, there is a need for a method and system that handles multiple accesses to a messaging mailbox in a way that overcomes the problem of the prior art.
It is, therefore, an object of the present invention to provide a system and method for handling multiple accesses to a messaging mailbox to retrieve messages, that prompts the user for action during a logon attempt when there is an active session in the mailbox.
In carrying out the above object, a method for handling multiple accesses to a messaging mailbox is provided. The method comprises receiving a request from a user to access the mailbox, and determining a session status in the mailbox. The method further comprises, if the status indicates an active session in the mailbox, prompting the user for action, and otherwise, granting the user access to the mailbox to retrieve messages.
In a preferred embodiment, prompting the user for action comprises prompting the user to select an action from a set of options. The set of options includes the option to disconnect the active session. When prompting the user for action, it may be desirable to notify the user of one or more of the following: an idle time of the active session, a location of the active session, and an interface type for the active session (such as electronic or voice). Of course, other information may be presented to the user such as, for example, an active time for a session (when the session is active and not idle).
Further, in a preferred embodiment, the set of options includes the option to start a read-only session. Upon selection of the option to start a read-only session, a read-only session is started, preferably, by taking a snapshot of the mailbox and, thereafter, establishing a session with the mailbox snapshot.
In read-only mode, it may be desirable to provide additional features. In one embodiment, upon demand, the snapshot may be reverted to the snapshot taken at the start of the read-only session. In another embodiment, upon demand, a new snapshot of the mailbox is taken and a session is established with the new mailbox snapshot. The new mailbox snapshot then reflects the current contents of the mailbox, which may have changed since the previous snapshot was taken. Further, embodiments of the present invention may, upon disconnection of the active session that resulted in the user only being able to have read-only access, notify the user of the option to start a read/write session in the mailbox.
Further, in carrying out the present invention, a method for handling multiple accesses to a messaging mailbox is provided. The method comprises receiving a request from a user to access the mailbox, and determining a session status in the mailbox. If the status indicates an active session in the mailbox, the user is prompted to select an action from a set of options. The set of options includes the option to disconnect the active session. Upon selection of the option to disconnect the active session, the active session is disconnected and, thereafter, the user is granted access to the mailbox to retrieve messages. In the event that the status did not indicate an active session in the mailbox, the user would be granted access to the mailbox without being prompted to select an action.
Still further, in carrying out the present invention, a system for handling multiple accesses to a messaging mailbox is provided. The system comprises a messaging server having control logic operative to receive requests from a user to access the mailbox to retrieve messages, and determine a session status in the mailbox. The control logic is further operative to, if the status indicates an active session in the mailbox, prompt the user for action, and otherwise, grant the user access to the mailbox.
It is to be appreciated that the messaging server may be, for example, a voice messaging server, an email messaging server, a fax messaging server, or a unified messaging server operative to handle voice, email, and fax messages. Preferably, when the control logic prompts the user for action, the user is prompted to select an action from a set of options including the option to start a read-only session. In this preferred embodiment, upon selection of the option to start a rea-donly session, a read-only session is started by taking a snapshot of the mailbox and, thereafter, establishing a session with the mailbox snapshot. Further, in a preferred embodiment, the control logic is further operative to, upon disconnection of the active session, notify the user of the option to start a read/write session in the mailbox. Further, in a different variation of read-only access, the user may establish a read-only session with a single message snapshot at a time (as opposed to a mailbox snapshot).
The advantages associated with embodiments of the present invention are numerous. For example, methods and systems of the present invention handle multiple accesses to a messaging mailbox by prompting the user to select an action from a set of options when there is already an active session in the mailbox. Embodiments of the present invention allow the user to disconnect sessions that were inadvertently left connected to prevent those sessions from blocking access by the user. Further, embodiments of the present invention may also be utilized with a shared mailbox. It is contemplated that the user sharing the mailbox includes a primary user that has the option to terminate other active sessions, while the other members and the primary user of the group may have the option to start a read-only session when the mailbox has a currently active session during an attempt to access the mailbox.